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Discourses Paperback – May 1, 1984

by Niccolo Machiavelli (Author)

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"It is not the well-being of individuals that makes cities great, but the well-being of the community"

Few figures in intellectual history have proved as notorious and ambiguous as Niccolò Machiavelli. But while his treatise The Prince made his name synonymous with autocratic ruthlessness and cynical manipulation, The Discourses (c.1517) shows a radically different outlook on the world of politics. In this carefully argued commentary on Livy's history of republican Rome, Machiavelli proposed a system of government that would uphold civic freedom and security by instilling the virtues of active citizenship, and that would also encourage citizens to put the needs of the state above selfish, personal interests. Ambitious in scope, but also clear-eyed and pragmatic, The Discourses creates a modern theory of republic politics.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Discourses

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Product Details

Series: Penguin Classics
Paperback: 544 pages
Publisher: Penguin Classics (May 1, 1984)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0140444289
ISBN-13: 978-0140444285
Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.9 x 7.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,714 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #127 in Books > History > Europe > Italy
- #193 in Books > History > Ancient Civilizations > Rome
- #255 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Modern

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Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 83 people found the following review helpful

The King is Dead!

By Brian D. Baird on September 7, 2001

Format: Paperback

These are Machiavelli's essays on the lessons to be learned from Titus Livy's first ten books about Roman history. Though other works existed, Machiavelli chose Livy's histories because Livy was an eye witness to the fall of the Roman Republic.
Machiavelli's purpose for writing The Discourses can be summed up in one line: "The multitude is wiser and more constant than a prince." More to-the-point, however is the later phraise: "A corrupt and disorderly multitude can be spoken to by some worthy person and can easily be brought around to the right way, but a bad prince cannot be spoken to by anyone, and the only remedy for his case is COLD STEEL."
With every stroke of his pen, Machiavelli sets out to prove the superiority of a republican form of government. He values freedom of the citizenry above all else, and provides princes everywhere with grizzly tales of what happens when it is restricted. His influence on the Founding Fathers, and particularly on the works of Paine and Jefferson, is evident. Our current leaders would find themselves more secure if they stuck to Machiavelli's principles.

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49 of 59 people found the following review helpful

Historical Analysis

By Phil Swanwick on October 29, 2000

Format: Paperback

Machiavelli's second most famous work, this book deals with the author's commentary on the way the Roman Republic was run and why it was so successful in expanding its borders. He stresses the reason it was so stable and successful was the solid core of reasonable laws, a standing army of professional soldiers and plunder/tribute from surrounding countries.
He illustrates the ways in which the good ideas of the ancient Romans could be applied in contemporary politics (it was written during the XVI century).
Unlike the Prince, which propandasizes his personal political opinions and describes the ideal ruler, the Discourses deal mainly with mundane economic and social issues, with little personal opinion.
It is filled with anecdotes about the lives of interesting or exceptional Romans and is not that difficult a read at all. In reading it for my first-year history class, I found it was a very good summary of the complicated life of the Roman Republic (it deals very little with the time of the Empire).

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

not thrilled with this edition

By A. Dale on February 24, 2010

Format: Mass Market Paperback Verified Purchase

THIS IS ABOUT the edition with Ninian Hill Thomson as the translator. i returned it, which is exceedingly rare for me, because the table of contents lacked the descriptive notations and there was no commentary or introductory analysis with the edition. the book itself is also in a cumbersome format, but that could have been excused. i sent it back and bought the modern library edition (prince and discourses combined) instead.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

excellent reading

By Rafael on March 4, 2004

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

I'd recommend this book to anyone who might've enjoyed books like Sun Tzu's "Art of War" or Robert Greene's "The 48 Laws of Power" or even someone who is even religious (Muslim, Christian, etc.) who might not be too afraid of understanding the perspective of a politician. I mix in religion because, perhaps to someone who subscribes to a more "pious" take on life, Machiavelli may hold a severely secular stigma. But this book may offer an alternative, if even more secular, view on the decisions made by religious/state leaders like Moses and Muhammad. As for those who also are into government conspiracy theories I'd also recommend this book- mix it with what you already think and you may come up with some more original theories of your own! ;)
Machiavelli comes across as a learned observer of mankind and expresses a rare understanding of the continual state of flux of mankind. Through his studies of history and in comparing past events to "present" (circa 1500s) ones Machiavelli makes strongly supported arguments throughout the discourses. Where Robert Greene falls short in "48 Laws" I believe is Machiavelli's stronger point- applying the [quite helpful] description of the characteristics of the parties involved which helps the reader summate the outcomes [of many of the events that are described throughout his discourses] right along with the reading. "48 Laws" does this well at times but falls short of this fluidity with many of his examples which can leave a certain level of disparity between the example(s) given and the "Law" to which it applies.
In summary I'd note that this is one of the few books that I wish didn't finish. I don't agree with him on every point, but I admire the proofs to his arguments on every page.

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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

Intellectually Enriching

By A Customer on August 16, 2002

Format: Paperback

Although much can be learned from modern writers about the history of Italy, the sentiments and evaluations of politicians and historians of this period (sixteenth century) are unique to their day. It is wonderful to read Machiavelli's evaluation of Livy's historical accounts and see why certain actions which would be shunned by modern writers made perfect sense then. Such accounts help the reader not to be trapped in his own day's thought processes, but have an expanded scope of history. Very enlightening!

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

The real Machiavelli

By Ashtar Command on December 28, 2008

Format: Paperback

The 16th century Florentine statesman Niccolò Machiavelli is mostly known for his work "The Prince", arguably the most ill-reputed book ever written, perhaps apart from Hitler's "Mein Kampf". However, "The Prince" seems to have been a purely empirical study of Italian politics, or perhaps even a rhetorical exercise. In other words, Machiavelli didn't really mean it! At least that's one possible interpretation (yes, the most charitable one).

So what were Machiavelli's real positions? Many scholars believe that these are laid out in "The Discourses", a work almost unknown to the general public. Its full title is "Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livy". Using the ancient Roman Republic as his model, Machiavelli attempts to analyze the role of fortune and virtue in history, the art of war, and the best system of government. There are certain similarities between "The Discourses" and "The Prince". Both works contain their fair share of pragmatic Realpolitik. On the whole, however, "The Discourses" show Machiavelli in a much better light than "The Prince". Machiavelli actually turns out to be an advocate of a democratic republic! Indeed, since Machiavelli supported the republican side during the political conflicts in Florence, it's safe to assume that *this* is the real Machiavelli.

"The Discourses" is not a particularly systematic work. It contains no fully worked-out political theory, and suffers from bad editing. (Machiavelli even admits this in his foreword.) The most interesting part is Book One, which deals with constitutional issues. Book Two, about the expansion of the Romans, is moderately interesting, while Book Three is the most disjointed.Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

This Machiavelli masterpiece is the next best thing to the prince

This Machiavelli masterpiece is the next best thing to the prince! the great statesmen did a really good job in explaining the different types of government in the context of the... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Helga Chavez

great book

Machiavelli's greatest political masterpiece next to the prince. this book contains all his ideas regarding the types of democracy and how a republic can survive the brutish and... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Thomas Brase

The greatest book of Machiavelli about his ideal democratic society...

The greatest book of Machiavelli about his ideal democratic society next to the Prince. moreover, this book proved to be a classic after being used as a reference to most... Read more

Published 4 months ago by James Milam

A primer on democracy and republics.

For those interested in a very interesting take on the functioning of democracies and republics and their history this is a good choice. Read more

Published 7 months ago by Niucame

If the prince is "Hobbit", the Discourses on Livy is "Lord of the...

If the prince is "Hobbit", the Discourses on Livy is "Lord of the Rings"

Published 8 months ago by Hong Yoo Chan

Like so many other authors

Like so many other authors, "educators" don't get Macchiavelli. They try and demonstrate his greatness with The Prince, which, while quite good, is a work of sycophancy. Read more

Published 12 months ago by Charles Roth

one for the collection

Published 13 months ago by mark masterson

Five Stars

Strong motivational theory...with, real world application of principles. Important reading for both the manager and the manage

Published 13 months ago by charles

THE AUTHOR OF "THE PRINCE" SUMMARIZES HIS OWN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (1469-1527) was an Italian historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist, and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance. Read more

Published 15 months ago by Steven H Propp

a fine read!

For the avid reader who would like to be well versed on all subjects, this is a good read. You will not be disappointed by this book.

Published on August 13, 2012 by johnsondmi

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